Books For Friday (BFF)

This is my current book club read. I am only part way through the book but am enjoying the story about a mother's courage and her children's resiliency during the second world war. It is about a chapter of history I had never heard about- the internment of the residents of the Dutch East Indies by the Japanese. Reading this book I was struck by how many untold stories of the impact of that war must be out there.

This book reminded me of the Canadian children's book, When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, about our internment of Japanese Canadians during the second world war. I do not recall learning of this awful act in school. It only became real to me when living in Vancouver and meeting friends whose parents had lived through this horrible experience.

This book is for readers grades 4-6. The main character, a nine-year-old girl, has her life uprooted and must deal with local prejudices in her new "home". A great way to educate our children about tolerance, and the consequences of prejudice, is reading such books to them or with them.

Are there any similar themed books out there that you would recommend?